...and so far, it's a bit of a mixed bag. John Wagner's new Dredd multi-parter CAUGHT IN THE ACT is an overt dig at the potential for over-reaction to the war on terror, and recent erosions of civil liberties. The give-away comes right in the first panel: the action starts at "Blunkett Towers", complete with graffittied statue of the gormless fuck*r and his guide dog. We hear of Maga City One's latest draconian measure "the security of the city act". Sounds familiar, doesn't it? The razor sharpness (as ever) of Wagner's writing is matched by the glory of Phil Winslade's art. I can't believe this guy isn't signed up by one of the big two on an exclusive contract. When the (actually very good) book he was drawing at DC, THE MONOLITH, came to it's all-too-premature conclusion, I thought he was obviously heading for bigger and better things. DC/Marvel editors - wise up! Why scurry around to sign up tubes like Michael Turner and Joe Madureira when such a fine illustrator (who has such a mastery of such overlooked basics as, duh, facial expression, anatomy and perspective) can easily knock out a page a day? Plus, the glory of his work here made me doodle pictures of Dredd all day, always a good sign.
Uncle Pat Mills is back with SAVAGE book two. Pat does his merry anarchist thing rather than the mystic thing he's been a tad burnt out on, so it's like a breath of fresh, violent, sadistic, air. Plus the art is by another ultra-consistent, ultra-under-rated Brit, Charlie Adlard. Always a pleasure, never a chore.
Until the recent rise of the risable Simon Spurrier, John Smith was my all-time least favourite 2000AD writer. The guy's work is usually fey, pretentious, incoherent, cold, and with wafer-thin characters no-one could warm to. I won't go on. Anyway, he's still in semi-regular employment for some reason, and his new series LEATHERJACK looks like it's going to be more of the same. It's not even partially redeemed by a great art job, as has sometimes been the case in the past (Chris Weston and Frazier Irving spring to mind, here). Paul Marshall's efforts here smack of perfunction.
The issue is rounded out by another attempt at re-animating the dead horse that is ROBO-HUNTER, by Alan Grant and Ian Gibson. At least this incarnation plays to Gibson's strengths by making the protagonist hot female cheesecake, but other than that, it's gags you've heard a thousand times before.
Special mention must also go to the great gatefold cover by Jock. Let's face it, the guy is the best Dredd artist unearthed in the last decade. Unfortunately, he's also under exclusive contract with DC, so it's great to see he was even allowed to produce this lovely piece. Great design sense, iconic - an instant classic.